Lithuania/ 5.1 General legislation

Those working in the culture sector fall under the same social security or unemployment schemes as the rest of the population.

Additional support for artists is granted by the state for:

scholarships and grants for artists;

National, Government's and Ministry's of Culture awards for artists;

1st and 2nd rate state pensions; and

annuity paid to artists who may not engage in their professional activity for an extended period of time e.g. for ballet dancers, musicians, dancers, and chorus singers.

The status of art creator and the Social security programme for art creators as well as the administration procedure thereof are regulated by the following legal acts: the Law amending the Law on the Status of Art Creators and their Organisations (1996; 2004; amended 2010), and the Government's Resolution on the Social Security Programme for Artistic Creators (2011). The Law on the Status of Art Creator and Art Creators' Organisations regulates provisions to obtain the professional status of "art creator". Article 11 of the Law determines state support for art creators from the Social Protection Programme, approved by the government in 2011. The Programme guarantees the state financial obligation to cover social and health insurance of art creators, and support to self-employed artists. One of the purposes of the Programme is to allocate creative idle time payments for artists. Creative idle time means a period of time when an artist of employable age, for objective reasons, temporarily has no conditions for the creation of art and (or) dissemination of its results. Creative idle time payment is a payment in the amount of a minimal monthly wage, which is paid to the artists from the Programme's budget.

The Law on Theatres and Concert Institutions (2004; new version 2010) provides legal provisions for social security coverage for personnel working in these institutions (article no. 13).

See also comparative information provided in the Compendium "Themes!" section under "Status of Artists".

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